Current-collecting device for railway-vehicles



3, H S U 0 H G N 1 T S E W G 7 I W M 1 M y W 3 N 2 I CURRENT cow-30mm DEVICE FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES. No. 579,606.

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1 G. WESTINGHOUSE. GURRENT GOLLBGTING DEVIGE FOR RAILWAY VEHIGLES.

No. 579,506. Patented Mar. 23, 1897.

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WESTINGHOUSE. CURRENT COLLECTING DEVICE FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES.

Patented Mar. 23, 1897.

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' NlTE STATES GEORGE YVESTINGHOUSE, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 579,506, dated March 23, 1897.

Application filed June 8, 1896. Serial No. 594,652. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE ESTING- HOUSE, a citizen of the United States, residing in Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Current-Collecting Devices for Railway-Vehicles, (Case No. 699,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to current-collecting devices for electrically-propelled vehicles, and has for its object to provide a device of this character which shall normally make contact with the conductor directly above the center of the vehicle and which may be readily adjusted to conductors of varying height by a movement of the contact-head both vertically and in the arc of a circle and at the same time be adapted to the movement of the vehicle in either direction without any movement of the device upon a vertical axis.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front or end elevation of the entire device. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the contact-head. Fig. 3 is a come sponding section through the lower portion of the supporting-frame. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the lower portion of the supporting-frame. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the entire struc ture. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view of a modification; and Fig. 7 is a section of the lower portion of the supporting-frame, taken on the line 00 5c of Fig. 4.

Reference being now had to the details of the invention as illustrated in the drawings, 1 is the contact-head, which comprises a roller 2, a shaft 3, on which such roller is mounted, a fork or skeleton frame 4, provided with bearings for the shaft 3, and removable stationary extensions 5 for the contact-roller 2. This contact-head is not claimed herein, since it constitutes in part the subj cot-matter of an application filed by me February 28, 1896, Serial No. 581,147. Depending from the fork 4, near the ends of the same, are two rods or tubes 6. The rods or tubes 6 extend into tubes 7, which are connected at their upper ends by a cross-bar 8 and at their lower ends by a casting 9. The casting 9 is provided with a tubular socket or recess 10,which opens upwardly and is preferably located midway between its ends. In this socket or recess 10 is located a locking-head 1 Lhaving a stem 12, surrounded by a coiled spring 13, one end of which rests upon the bottom of the recess and the other against the head 11. Depending from the middle of the fork 4 is a rod 14, to the lower end of which is fastened a bar 15. The bar 15 is provided at each end with a roller 16 in position to engage with the corresponding tube 7, and thus guide the rod and the connected parts as they move up and down. A coiled spring 17 surrounds the rod 14, and is fastened at its upper end to the cross-bar 8 and at its lower end to the bar 15. This spring therefore serves as a tensionspring to draw the bar 15 upward, and with it the contact-head 1.

Extending down ward below the rod 14 and in alinement therewith is a plunger 17. When the contact-head is lowered a sufficient distance, this plunger will enter the tubular socket 10, engage the head 11, and press the same downward against the action of the spring, as will be readily understood. Located in the casting 9 is a horizontal lockingbolt 18, provided at its outer end with a head 19. This head is provided with a beveled or rounded outer end, as shown in Fig. 3, and is normally pressed outward by means of a coiled spring 20, surrounding the bolt 18 and located in a suitable recess or socket in the casting 9. This beveled outer end or face of the head 19 bears against a plate 21, forming part of a base 22, in which the casting 9 is journaled. The plate 21 has a shallow recess 21, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 5, in which the outer face of the head 19 rests when the frame for the contact'head is in a vertical position. When the frame is extended so that the head of the plunger 17 is above the bolt 18, the lockinghead 11 will be in position to prevent any movement of the bolt 18. If the contact-head be depressed, however, to such a degree as to bring the parts 17 and 11 into the position shown in Fig. 3, the frame may be readily moved in either direction from a vertical position, since the head 19 may move out of the recess 21 against the action of the spring 20. hen this movement of the head 19 is effected, the inner end of the bolt 18 will be in position to engage the upper side of the head of the plunger 17 and prevent any extension of the supporting-frame until it is again.

brought to a vertical position.

The casting 19 is also provided with a pair of grooved and substantially semicircular lugs 23,0n its under side. Projecting both frontwardly and rearwardly from the base 22 is a rod or tube 24, provided at its outer ends with nuts 25, which serve as stops for movable heads 26. Between these heads 26 and the frame 22 are located coiled compression-sprin gs 27. These heads 26 are connected with the lugs 23 by means of suitable chains 28. The grooves 29 in the lugs 23 serve as guides for the chains 28 when the supporting-frame for the contacthead is moved in either direction from a vertical position. The springs 27 obviously serve to normally maintain the supporting-frame in a vertical position, and'for overhead conductors located at the usual height above the car this vertical position of the supportingframe will be maintained. If, howe ver,when passing under bridges or other places where the supply-conductor is at a considerably lower level it is necessary to lower the contact-head more than the structure will permit with the frame in a vertical position, it may be moved in either direction against the action of the springs 27. The bolt 18 will thus be pressed inward, as hereinbefore described,

and lock the two parts of the telescoping frame togetherin such a manner as to prevent any extension of the same until it is again brought to a vertical position.

The construction above described is designed to be automatic in its operation, the depression of the contact-head and the swinging movement of the supporting-frame upon its trunnions being effected in the normal operation of the structure by the supply-conductor when the latter is so near the top of the car as to prevent the passage of the current-collector in its normal vertical position. Any suitable means may be provided for lowering the contact-head at will, if found nec essary or desirable, and in Fig. 6 I have shown a means suitable for this purpose. In the said figure the parts are substantially the same as those shown in Fig. 3, except that the locking-head 1i and the stem 12 are shown as hollow in order to permit of the passage of a cord 30, which is attached to the bottom of the plunger 17 and passes over a roller 31, in order that the plunger may be readily pulled down to the locking position shown, when desired.

It will be obvious that other changes in the form and relation of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scopeof my invention.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination with a contact-head of an extensible and normally vertical supporting-frame therefor, a base to which said frame is pivoted and means for locking said contact-head in its lowest position, said means being actuated by the movement of the supporting-frame upon its pivots.

2. The combination with a contact-head and a two-part supportingframe therefor, one of said parts comprising a pair of rods and the other of said parts comprising a pair of tubes in which said rods are located, said rods being longitudinally movable with reference to and guided by said tubes, a spring connecting said parts, a base to which said supporting-frame is pivoted, and means for normally holding the frame in a vertical position.

3. The combination witha contact-head, of a telescoping supporting-frame therefor, one of the parts of which is rigidly connected to said contact-head, a base to which the other part of the frame is pivoted, a spring connecting said parts and guide-rollers on the contact-carrying part and en gaging the other of said parts.

t. The combination with a contact-head and an extensible and normally vertical supporting-frame therefor, a base to which said frame is pivoted and a spring-actuated locking-bolt for locking the two parts of the supporting-frametogether, said bolt being moved in opposition to its spring by a projection on the base when the frame is moved in either direction from its vertical position.

5. A current-collecting device for railwayvehicles comprising a contact-head, a longitudinally-extensible supporting-frame, a base to which said frame is hinged, means for looking the frame in vertical position when extended and means for locking the parts of the frame together when inclined in either direction.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 4th day of June, 1896.

GEO. WESTINGHOUSE.

Witnesses:

WEsLEY G. CARR, IIUBERT O. TENER. 

